After being benched for the entire IPL season last year, young fast bowler Rajvardhan Hangargekar got his debut IPL cap for Chennai Super Kings in the first match of IPL 2023, against Gujarat Titans, at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad.
With Mukesh Choudhary ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury, CSK decided to give the 20-year-old Rajvardhan Hangargekar the bowling duties.
While CSK lost to the Titans by 5 wickets in a last-over thriller, the youngster shone brightly with the ball, returning with figures of 3/36 in his 4 overs. The speedster took the wickets of Wriddhiman Saha, Sai Sudharshan, and Vijay Shankar, helping CSK significantly to keep the game alive and stretch it till the last over in CSK’s defense of 179 on a good batting pitch.
Rajvardhan Hangargekar’s IPL debut has been a much-awaited one among all the fans. He’s been in the news since he broke into the Under-19 World Cup 2022, where India won the title in the West Indies. Then, in the IPL 2022 mega-auction, CSK bought him for a big sum of INR 1.5 crore.
His high pace has been well-known, but what took the fans by surprise was his slightly remodeled action. His action, which was clearly a bit different from the one bowled during the U-19 WC last year, certainly has helped him more with his bowling while keeping his pace intact. Rajvardhan Hangargekar even clocked 142 KPH in his first over as he got rid of Saha in his first over.
He started off with a yorker on his first ball in the IPL.
Rajvardhan Hangargekar’s bowling action is very similar to Jasprit Bumrah
Fans were quick to notice that Rajvardhan Hangargekar’s action at the end is akin to that of Jasprit Bumrah.
While the India fast bowler is currently laid low due to a back injury, the debut of Rajvardhan Hangargekar in the IPL was like fresh air to the Indian fans, some of whom even touted the 20-year-old to make it to the Indian team soon based on his pace and hit-the-deck bowling ability.
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CSK skipper MS Dhoni was impressed with Rajvardhan Hangargekar, but reckoned the bowler needs to work on his no-ball.
“I think it’s important for the youngsters to step in. I think Raj (Hangargekar) has pace and he will get better with time. Think the bowlers will get better, a no-ball is something that’s in your control, so you need to work on that,” Dhoni said.
After losing to GT in Ahmedabad, CSK will be playing their first home game this season, as they host Lucknow Super Giants in Chennai on Monday.
